As a sprinter for Ed Temple's Tennessee State "Tigerbelles", Wyomia Tyus got early lessons in competing against the best. Tyus had to run regularly against Edith McGuire, whom she never beat in a race until the 100-meter finals at the 1964 Olympics, where Tyus won the gold medal after tying the world record of former Tigerbelle Wilma Rudolph in the semi-finals. Tyus and McGuire were both members of the 4x100m relay team that won a silver medal in Tokyo.
Tyus capped this victory with another gold medal at the 1968 Olympics to become the first repeat winner in the 100 meters. Her time of 11.08 broke her own record, which she had set at the USA-USSR dual meet in 1965. At the Mexico City Olympics, she added a gold medal in the 4x100m relay and was sixth in the 200 meters. In between Olympic victories, she also won the 200 at the 1967 Pan-American Games. The holder of world records at both 100 yards and 100 meters, Tyus won eight National AAU titles, five of them outdoors. She was elected to the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985.